What I read: Teaching Arguments

What I read: Teaching Arguments

Memorable lines
These are some of the portions of the book that I highlighted during my readings. They provide some aha moments and some important aspects of writing that need to be communicated to students as they develop their writing skills, especially in argumentative writing: 

"We attempt to suspend all judgment and personal reactions as we work to understand a writer's meaning" (p. 5). 
This is so important for writers to do, but it is not an easy task. As teachers we have to guide our students in this process so that they can better analyze works, better respond to texts, and create substantial arguments.

"Another way of thinking about occasion, audience, and purpose, then, is that all three are about opportunity to respond to something, to reach someone, or to change something" (p. 54). 
I think we sometimes assume that our students know this, but it's always good to ensure that they do. Students need real reasons for writing and this helps them think of their writing in meaningful ways - even writing for testing purposes. 

"How do we prepare students for academic work if they don't see themselves as students" (p.181). 
This is such an important question. As teachers we have to help our students realize the importance of being a student and best ways to cultivate beneficial learning practices. I love how the book ends with that!

But before we jump to the conclusion that Americans are philistines with wacky priorities..." (p. 57). 
I chose this quote just for fun. It came from chapter 3 when the author discussed context by using the Joshua Bell experiment where Bell, an accomplished violinist played in a DC subway station and barely anyone recognized him or his talent. "Philistine" being used to describe the passerbys' attitudes tickled me and I highlighted it. 



Things I want to Try 
This book had some many detailed examples! They are out-of-the-box activities, but very simple to understand and carry out. I'll list my favorite examples that I would like to try: 

1. The believing and doubting game (p. 7). This activity allows students to practice objectivity which is essential in argumentative writing. The doubting game takes students through a teacher-led think-aloud about a chosen piece. Students are asked to "temporarily [try] on the writer's ideas for size" (p. 7). They do this by using a checklist that's also provided in the appendix. Students cross things off the checklist by putting a plus sign by everything the teacher does during the think-aloud. The doubting game is just as simple. Students use the same checklist, but put a minus sign on all the items on the that the teacher doesn't do in the think-aloud. In the believing game students side with the author and in the doubting game they question the author, which allows them to see both sides.
2. Translating for Outsiders (p.85): This is a great activity to help students successfully target their writing to appropriate audiences. Students think about a subject they consider themselves to be experts in (eg. a sport they play). Next, they will fill out a provided chart (on page 86) with selected terms, insider language or jargon, and translation. Finally, they write a paragraph using the insider language for the subject they have chosen. The chart allows students to see how talking about the same thing but using different language appeals to different audiences. Also, I think it allows them to see how certain audiences can be shut out from their work if they don't provide the write language or explanation.  (The Mock Rejection Letter - p. 96 and Back Cover Book Description are also really cool activities from Chapter 4). 
3. College Success letter (p. 189). I like this activity because it alloaws students to practice all the techniques they have learned and apply it to a world-world scenario that directly affects their future. In this activity, students write a letter to themselves answering the following question: "What does it mean to me to be successful in college?"
4. Everything in the entire Appendix section!

Questions I still have

One main question I had was, "all this information is amazing, but do we really have time to delve that deep into the nitty-gritty of each type of writing with our students?"